Characterization of acute respiratory infections among 340 infants in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

Background: To investigate the etiological and epidemiological features of acute respiratory infections among children in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

Methods: Nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected from 340 pediatric patients from Wuxi Second People's Hospital from June 2012 to May 2014. Seven respiratory viruses including influenza virus A (FA), influenza virus B (FB), parainfluenza virus I (PIVI), parainfluenza virus II (PIVII), parainfluenza virus III (PIVIII), adenovirus (ADV), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were detected using direct immunofluorescence method. Epidemiological analysis was performed in terms of gender, age, and seasonal distribution.

Results: Among these 340 patients, viral pathogens were detected in 116 cases (34.12%), with the leading three viruses being RSV (16.18%; 55/340), FB (5.29%; 18/340), and FA (5.00%; 17/340). The positive rate was not significantly different between male (36.32%; 73/201) and female (31.65%; 44/139) patients (P>0.05). The positive rate was highest in the 0-1-year-old group (48.48%; 32/66) and in winter (42.72%; 44/103).

Conclusions: RSV is the most commonly detected respiratory virus in Wuxi. Infants aged 0-1 year should be a priority population during disease prevention and control. Respiratory infections among children are more common in winter.